Page 61 of Wicked Titan

I look down to see Asher scaling the side of the mountain as he yells, frantic for me to stop.

It’s at least fifty feet down. Numbness is taking effect on my limbs, but I don’t want to stop climbing. Going back is not an option. My dad won’t be there. I just want the pain to stop.

“Go away!” I scream, pressing my face against the hard stone. I don’t need Asher. I need my dad. I trust his movements, his guidance, his support. There’s no one else who I trust to catch me if I fall. There’s nothing securing me to the stone. My safety net is gone.

Looking up, I edge up, hauling myself higher. Hand and foot, in a synchronized rhythm, taking the exact path that my dad and I planned on our hike down the other side of this rock after our climb—our last climb.

My focus is solely on my hand and foot placement, tuning out Asher’s shouts. Smothering out the voices telling me that my dad is gone.

Mindlessly, I reach for the final hold before hauling myself to the top of the Chappell Canyon, standing alone as everything rushes back to me.

Dead.

A harsh grip seizes my arms, and I’m spun toward Asher as he yells, “What the fuck were you thinking?”

Stiff as the stone beneath my feet, I stare at him while he continues yelling, yanking me forward, his grip becoming hurtful as he shakes me. “You could’ve killed yourself pulling that stupid shit. Is that what you think your dad would want?”

“I hate you!” Rage explodes in my chest. I heave away from him, but he holds me against his body, so I pound my fists against his chest. “I hate you!”

“Good.” His command remains strong on my arms as I thrash against him until I feel nothing left inside. Just emptiness.

“He’s gone,” I sob, falling against the security of Asher’s chest.

“I know.” His voice is flat as his hands caress my back. “I know.”

We stand there as I sob, for how long, I don’t know. I’m unsure of the time that passes before I pull away from him. He lightly grasps my hands, leading me down the opposite side of the cliff as I numbly follow him down.

“How’d you know where to find me?” I ask, watching the ground as we continue to walk.

“I just knew,” he says, without turning to look at me. “Victoria called me. You need to call your mom or Nathan.”

“No.”

“Just because you don’t give a shit about them doesn’t mean they don’t care about you. Call them.” His voice is emotionless.

“It doesn’t matter,” I mumble under my breath.

Suddenly he stops, spinning around to draw me against him. “Stop it. Stop pushing them away when all they are trying to do is be there for you.”

“I never asked them to be there for me.” I yank free of his embrace, upset that he wants to guilt me into calling my mom. The only reason she is in my life is because my dad is dead … the same reason Asher is now a part of my life. “Or you. Just leave me alone.”

His fingers catch my arm as he twists me to face him, his hand clasping the back of my head, pulling me to stand nose to nose. “Stop it, Quinn.”

He’s pulling, it’s time to push. “You win.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You wanted me to hate you, to stay away from you. You win. I don’t care—”

His mouth crashes on mine, drowning out my words with his harsh kiss. His embrace is so tight it threatens to crush my ribs. He breaks the kiss, leaning back enough to speak as his lips brush against mine. “I care. I didn’t know how much until I watched your stupid ass scale up the side of a mountain as I followed, begging the universe to not let your grip fail.”

I swallow the lump in my throat at the thought of him falling. “You shouldn’t have followed me. That was your stupid-ass decision.”

“No, it wasn’t,” his mouth feathers across mine, kissing tenderly as my eyes close, “because I love you.”

Grasping his shoulders, I hold on as tight as I can. He kisses me patiently, lovingly, as my heart breaks all over again. “I love you too.”

50